MONTPELIER — The Montpelier Chamber Orchestra’s second annual concert crawl will take place this Saturday and offers an exciting menu of food and music for participants who will visit three homes in the Meadows neighborhood where they will be wined, dined and serenaded by musicians from a variety of traditions including classical, Celtic and klezmer music.

Among the local musicians performing are vocal ensemble Maple Jam, who sing everything from classic standards to the swinging sounds of the Swingle Singers, and Deborah Packard and Peter Cairney, who will perform classic tunes from the British Isles. Rounding up the gathering will be Classical Klezmer, a group of Chamber Orchestra players who will play both Classical music and traditional klezmer music from Eastern Europe.

All proceeds from the $50 tickets, which promise an evening of fun, are in support of the chamber orchestra’s special life mapping project which is currently working with Montpelier elders and high school seniors to help create a musical concert experience that should wow audiences when it premieres in June.

That multi-media event will feature art and performances by local residents who will be working with renowned electric violinist Tracy Silverman and composer Kenji Bunch to realize a musical and visual collaboration that will reflect on the ways in which music can mark a life’s passage whether you’re 16 or 60.

“We just finished doing a residency at the correctional institution for women in Chittenden County,” said Paul Gambill, musical director of the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra. “That was a very moving experience. This should be equally as exciting.”

There are only 75 tickets available for the evening concert crawl, and all must be purchased in advance. There will be three groups of 25, and each will move from one house to the next.

Marilyn Mode, chamber orchestra publicist, said the food served at each stop would reflect the music being played at the home. “For instance at the location where we’ll have Klezmer music, we’ll be serving Mediterranean food like lamb and hummus.”

She added that the clock is ticking on the remaining time to purchase tickets, which can be bought through Eventbrite at montpelierconcertcrawl.eventbrite.com.

Cuts for a cause

MONTPELIER — April is Sexual Violence Awareness Month and the folks at Sylvia’s - A Gallery of Style have decided to show their support this weekend by doing what they do best and donating proceeds from a four-hour fundraiser to a Barre-based organization that assists children who are victims of sexual abuse.

OUR House of Central Vermont will be the beneficiary of a Saturday morning event at the Berlin Street hair salon. It’s being billed as a “Cut-A-Thon,” which makes perfect sense if you cut hair for a living.

It’s going to be all cuts at Sylvia’s from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, so if you need one and want to contribute to a good cause call 223-3955 and book an appointment.

It’s a haircuts-only-walk-ins-are-welcome-but-appointments-are-preferred affair. The suggested donation is $15 and we’re told every penny will go to support the good work that OUR House has been doing for more than 25 years.

Early dismissal?

BARRE — What does a hurricane that spared Vermont last October have in common with a localized power outage and a good old-fashioned Green Mountain snowstorm?

All three events prompted the very rare decision to cancel school in Barre this year and threatened to extend the school year beyond Friday, June 14.

The School Board briefly considered the possibility of bringing students back the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to make up for the time they missed in the classroom, but ultimately decided not to delay the start of summer vacation.

At least for the students.

Teachers won’t get off so easy. They’ll be expected to attend a series of year-ending staff development days to make up for the time they missed.

If you’re a student it gets better, because school officials are seriously considering a calendar change that would reduce the number of classroom days from 180 to 178 next year. Assuming the change is approved by the Barre Supervisory Board, which meets tonight, the two days would be tacked on to seven others that are used for staff development, training and conferences.

‘Puzzle’ piece

BARRE — The folks with the Autism Puzzle Foundation haven’t finished counting the proceeds from another extremely successful fundraiser at the Barre Municipal Auditorium last Saturday, but the early returns are promising.

More than 300 people attended the RSVP-only event and, according to preliminary returns, it appears the organization raised over $43,000 to help families of children with autism.